Following an arbitration hearing in November 2019, Charlotte Sweeney, Ariel DeFazio, and Madeline Collison won an arbitration case on behalf of Mary Jane Cox, a former telecom sales director who had been discharged as part of a nationwide reduction in force (RIF).

After hearing three days of testimony, the arbitrator concluded that Ms. Cox was discriminated against because of her age and awarded her almost three years of full back pay and benefits. Given the nationwide scope of the RIF, it was a challenging and resounding victory for Ms. Cox and the firm.

While most cases are tried in court, the telecom company had required its employees to sign arbitration agreements that force employee claims to be tried to a single arbitrator instead of a jury. Many states, including Colorado, are working to impose fairness requirements on such arbitrations.